6 Ways To Go On Vacation Without Ever Leaving Home

Although heading out to somewhere new can be a blast, sometimes it's just not in the cards due to scheduling or your budget. Instead, stay home and try out one of these ideas to help take your kids on a mini adventure without hopping on a train, plane or automobile!

1. Imagine "A Day In The Life": Although it would be ideal to travel far and wide and show our children how others live their everyday lives, it's not always in the cards. Instead, try filling them in on what children in other countries or cities do on a daily basis. Make them a list (add some clip art or drawings if you want to go all out) and let them pretend to do the things other kids do. Have them haul water from one end of the yard to the other, sleep under the stars or help with extra household chores. The list is literally endless, but giving them a preplanned road map of things to do for a day helps take a boring afternoon from blah to ta-dah!

2. Check Out Books From The Library: Although there's a great deal to be said for the internet and the thousands of photos and ideas that it holds, sometimes (especially for little minds) a book can be a far easier medium to show off new ideas. Look for books on food, dress, traditions and ways of life that differ from your own. Check different age ranges for books to find books with pictures, maps and more!

3. Have "New Food Week": Test out new dishes, desserts and traditional fare from all sorts of ethnic cuisine. If you have picky eaters, showing pictures of children eating such foods before hand can help. Try one new dish a night, month or go all out and do 3 meals a day! Try turning your sidewalk into an outdoor French Café, or your backyard into the Sahara Desert with a tent to dine in.

4. Movie Night: Many movies showcase a city better than many books do and although they don't always get you a behind the scenes look, it can be a great way to help little minds understand people physically living in different environments. Try mixing up "educational" films with others that might be more dramatic.

5. Photoshop Magic: After learning about all the different ways other children live in cities around the world, try your hand at a little Photoshop magic. Edit your kids into photos of world monuments as a badge of completion for each country you want to visit this summer.

6. Plan a Themed Day: Instead of trying out one of two ideas from the list above, why not give them all a go at the same time? Try making it a weekend ordeal where hopefully all parents in the home can participate with the children. Remember your outlook on the idea will be picked up by the kids, so don't worry and go all out and over the top!

Do you have a suggestion to add to the list? Something your family has done that might work out well for others with a limitation on time or money? Share your ideas below!